[Differential diagnosis of otorhinolaryngologic pain syndromes]

As a guiding symptom, acute pain usually leads to the correct diagnosis. In most cases, chronic pain has lost its warning effect. It is often a diagnostic problem to localize the starting point of the pain. Thus, seeking the advice of a number of specialists has proved to be valuable. In more than half of the "pain patients", complaints of pain in the head and neck area are prevalent. The article deals with several pain syndromes which are of importance for the ENT physician. Pain in the ear can be caused by inflammation, tumor, or injury in the area of 5th, 7th, 9th, and 10th cranial nerves, and of the course of the cervical nerves 1-3. In facial pain, symptomatic reasons such as tumors along the involved nerves, Sjögren's, or styloid syndrome, have to be taken into consideration.